


magnolia blossoms

by casualhottubnacho



Category: Geography (Anthropomorphic)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Highschool AU, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, as i publish chapters i'll add more though i promise, china looks like a hot tiktoker tbh, i can't add many tags because it'll spoil things :(, if youre expecting uwu boy america you are going to be in for a swift punt across the yard, israel has a boyf but hes not important to the story (neither is israel tbh), israel n ame are buddies im sorry i DO make the rules
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualhottubnacho/pseuds/casualhottubnacho
Summary: note:no ships in this book will be anything that you would see included in most other fics. there is no rusame, no fruk, no sovietreich, no gerpol, no southjap- nothing. everything here will be rarepairs, because we need more rarepair appreciation in this fandom. if that isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to move on.highschool au except we only eat GOOD food in this house and have obliterated the concept of uwu baby name and have instead presented the fine members of this fandom with manipulative ame
Relationships: China/America (Anthropomorphic)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue/Introduction

School was hierarchical. Some might say that that was just the tip of the iceberg, the general presumption, and that, once you looked beneath the surface, you’d see that there was intricate layering, much more complicated than any system could possibly categorize, and that would be true. Underneath that tightly-woven jumble of ideals, though, we return to a hierarchy, one that is subconscious enough that even the students themselves do not seem to notice it until long after they need the knowledge.

That’s a lot to unpack, though.

America was well aware of all of this, and used it to his advantage. In middle school, he had watched the way some people would socially succeed and the way some wouldn’t. He’d spend night after night researching behavioral patterns and what they meant and what people who did them were more likely to do because of it. He’d ask his step-mother to teach him what she remembered from her year or two of psychology classes, and, when that proved to not be enough, he’d take online classes and watch Youtube videos on the subject until his eyes were sore and his mind was numb. 

All of that would pay off when they all switched to highschool.

He very quickly began to rise through the social classes people had set up for themselves- They loved to compliment him on his changes over the summer, saying things such as “You just seem so much nicer”, or “You seem so much more mature”. He relished in it. He did not feel guilty. He had worked so hard to get this far, and it had paid off.

It would continue to pay off, all the way up into his junior year, when  _ they _ started to do the same.

China was a transfer student. That alone made him popular amongst the student body before he even arrived. His looks and his personality only added to that. Flawless skin, a jawline that could cut glass, inky black hair, cropped just below the ears, slicked back to show off his damn-near perfect features, dark brown eyes that made you feel like you were drowning in a pool of sickly-sweet chocolate any time they locked onto you…

It made America furious. He refused to be around China whenever he could help it, because any time he got close, one of them ended up with either a fist in their face or a multitude of bruises across their ribcage, and neither one liked having to explain that to anyone. 

Before long, people began to subtly flock to one side or the other- Many tried to stay in the middle, stay neutral about it, but very few succeeded. America was openly thankful for anyone who tended to take his side- Thanks and apologies made people feel happy and appreciated and would make them stay.

  
China didn’t seem to get the unspoken message, though. He always tried to apologize and make himself look better. He always tried to give America light touches on the arm when he was angry to provoke him into starting a fight. He always loved to put his hands up and step back and say “There’s no need to get violent” to try and make America look like the bad guy. America  _ hated _ it. He hated China. He hated everything China did and everything he said, and he was sure China felt the same.


	2. Chapter One- Aubade

_ au·bade _

_ /ōˈbäd/ _

_ noun _

_ a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning. _

The courtyard wasn’t quiet, but it was still easily considered one of the most peaceful places in the school, in America’s mind. Complete, overwhelming silence may have been preferable to some, but America enjoyed the minor ambiance a lot more. Lead rattling around in mechanical pencils as they were tapped against ashen wood benches in thought, thick magnolia leaves brushing against each other and the damp grass as they lost their grip on their branches, birds squawking at each other from their individual perches in the untrimmed trees, the faint gurgle of the centerpiece fountain, complete with a slightly-disfigured flowering statue, voices drifting from all corners of the area as students mumbled among themselves... America very much enjoyed this over the standard view of peace.

He shivered a bit as the sun finally peeked out from behind its cloudy covering, bringing a sudden warmth to his previously chilled skin. With a smile, America reached over and poked his “study partner” in the shoulder. “Hey, Is,” He murmured, trying to keep a snicker out of his voice, “Sun’s out. Are you gonna turn to stone like the rest of the gargoyles?”

Israel groaned, and, with the elegance of a deformed tortoise, dropped his head onto the table with an audible  _ Thunk _ . “No, I’m not going to turn to stone, you cuck, your ego’s large enough to shade everyone out here. The sun can’t get to me through your thick, over-inflated head.”

“Wow.  _ Wooooow _ .” America gasped in mock offense, putting a hand to his chest, purposely hitting Israel with his elbow in doing so, “How  _ rude _ . I expected better of you, Israel, honestly. Do you treat everyone you know with such blasphemous insults?”

“No, just your dumb ass,” Israel replied as he lifted his head off of his blank sheet of notebook paper. “Hey, you figured out what to do about this assignment yet?” He gestured vaguely to his sheet of paper, then America’s, then the half-sized page of instructions, a light frown tugging at the corners of his lips. 

In lieu of a reply, America shrugged with minimal effort and stared at his own empty lines, aside from his scribbled-in name. “Honestly? I’m so out of it at this point that I barely even understood the instructions. I have no clue what to actually write down.”

“Same.”

There was a minute of two of a lax in the conversation between the two as they both stared and scowled at their papers, as if it would suddenly make the right words appear, until America huffed and readjusted in his seat. “Think someone else is gonna know?”

“...Uh… Germany might?” Israel offered tentatively. America rolled his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. “She was with China, last I saw.”

Israel swallowed and glanced away, an awkward look on his face. America had a brief, fleeting thought that his friend looked like a frog. “Hm… Well, do you know of anyone in this god-forsaken school who owns more than three brain cells and would willingly help us? We might just be stuck with trying to go find Germany.”

It must have been quite the sight to see two clowns sitting at a wooden school bench out of costume, rubbing their chins and humming as they struggled to come up with anyone who wasn’t a complete moron or someone who hated them.

“...JAPAN!” America finally yelled, jumping to his feet triumphantly. Israel quickly jerked him back down onto the bench, giving him a scolding glare as people briefly glanced up from their work to stare. They quickly looked away, though, and it was after the last student averted their gaze that Israel released his tight hold on America’s arm.

“Jesus fuck, dude,” America grumbled as he rubbed his now-sore forearm, “Didja have to be so rough?”

“Did you have to be so obnoxiously loud?” Israel snapped back, face flushed with embarrassment. America’s smile wavered a bit before it came back full-force. “Sorry, dude, I’ll be quieter next time.”

“Uh-huh, sure. That’s what you said last time.”

“I mean it, though!”

Israel huffed and tilted his head a bit so that he was leaning more comfortably against the table. “You better, or else I’m gonna stop hanging out with you.” A small bubbling of fear began to appear in America’s chest at that, but Israel leaned over and squashed that worry with a rough shove of his shoulder. “That’s a lie, by the way, I could never do that. I’m popular because I’ve started hanging out with you.”

“Of course. Everything you do is for personal gain.” America teased back with crinkled eyes as he slid back on his seat to open his backpack and haphazardly shove his paper in. Israel did the same with his own paper, as well as the assignment sheet, as he replied, “Indeed it is. It makes it less surprising when I drop out of school and become a stripper.”

“Oh, a stripper? Would your ‘ _ college boyfriend _ ’ approve of that?” He did air-quotes for “college boyfriend” before zipping up his bag and slinging it onto the bench and then onto his shoulder. Israel snorted and chose to just carry his around on his back. “I think he would  _ very much _ enjoy seeing me do that, as well as the aftereffects of newfound stamina and lower body strength, but only for him… He probably wouldn’t like the part where I go out and strip.” A little pink tongue appeared between Israel’s teeth as his eyebrows scrunched up. “Okay, yeah, I see your point. Maybe I won’t be a stripper.”

“...I was saying that to call you out on your whole ‘he goes to a different school, you wouldn’t know him’ thing, not the actual logistics of you being a stripper.” America replied after a moment of stunned silence as they began to walk back towards the school. America opened the double doors and held them open for Israel before letting them drop back into place, thankfully not slamming very loudly. The hallways were almost eerily quiet compared to outside. America swallowed and picked up his pace to be right beside Israel.

Their footsteps echoed in the virtually empty building as Israel retorted, “ _ You have seen him before _ ,”, scowling ever so slightly. America chuckled and nudged his shoulders and pretended like he wasn’t shivering a little bit. 

“I still think that wasn’t real- And, besides, even if it is, it doesn’t count, that’s your home screen. I haven’t actually  _ met  _ him before or anything.”

“That’s because he goes to  _ college _ , America, you foolish clown boy.”

“Oh, yes, I’m the clown boy, and not you, the one who cosplays clowns on Tiktok for clout.”

“At least I can admit that I’m a jingle-shoes, you writhing worm.”

“I’m a worm now? What happened to the clown? And worms are cool, thank you very much.”

Israel just exhaled long enough to potentially blow over a fully-grown tree in place of any sort of verbal reply, letting America know (or, rather,  _ think _ ) that he had won this argument. “Okay,  _ anywho _ ,” He began, not wanting to aggravate his friend any further, “Where are we going?”

“...To see Japan, I thought. Were you not leading the way?”

“Uh… no? I was following you?”

“...Well shit.”

America barked out a laugh and slung his arm around Israel’s shoulders, pulling the smaller boy into his side with a wide smirk. “Fear not, young damsel!” He announced, spinning on one foot and taking Israel with him, “We will find our way eventually! Adventurer’s honor!”

Israel buried his face into America’s ribcage long enough to scream before pulling out of his grasp entirely and pointing an accusing finger at his chest. “We’re gonna- No, scratch that.  _ I’m _ gonna find Japan, and you’re gonna follow me, got it? I have a plan.”

“Ooh, what are you gonna do?” America asked excitedly, bouncing on his heels as he waited to see what kind of trick Israel would pull to help them find Japan. Israel gave him an unamused look that resulted in a 30-second-long staring contest that only ended because America had to blink his watering eyes.

“...I’m gonna call her,” Israel said slowly, like he was speaking to a child. America’s enthusiasm deflated like a popped balloon.”Ah. Right. That makes sense.”

“Dork,” Grumbled Israel as he scrolled briefly through his contacts to find Japan before dialing her number. It only rang once before it was answered with a chirpy voice that America couldn’t understand from his minor distance from the speakers of Israel’s phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry about the shit ending i just kinda ran myself into a corner and figured it's just be better to go ahead and post what i have instead of staring at the google doc and feeling like an idiot for not being able to keep going
> 
> n yeah its short. ill try and make em longer.


End file.
